=The two biggest companies finally receive the grudge match long awaited!=
Overview
In the last 80's Capcom brought a classic series to life,lil did they know it would
bring in a new genre after so many past titles were forgotten.In 1991 Capcom brought
the SF series with a new saga,a variety of fighters clashed over whom was best.
94' SNK was a tried and true company that had rival ties with Capcom. They definitely
knew what they were getting into when they brought out Fatal Fury previous years before.
The King of Fighters tied the knot with a bunch of characters in a tourney to challenge
a psychotic overpowered millionaire wanting a dark power.
What a better way to tie the knot with two kick butt companies?.
Graphics 10/10
Fighters redesigned and some just ported.Yet alot of SNK characters received a sweet
upgrade and then some.Every sprite is nicely detailed,especially the backgrounds. They
literally came to life,even though they looked like paintings,the places each fight
takes place is literally alive. Attacks from fireballs to blocking are given a new look,
even though they appear as a flash and disappear its a big difference from what we
saw in the past.
Gameplay/Controls 8/10
Where to start on this title? As soon as you inserted a quarter or pressed start you
were automatially given a choice on what groove (or game style) you would like to choose.
The two choices were Capcom (which consisted of a SFA3 special attack bar) & SNK (able to
use a "charge" to MAX out the special bar.) Then after you could choose your speed..next
was the Ratio select (Fighters were placed as a grid from overall Normal/Medium/Hard type
fighters in a 1-3 type select.As follows...
-Normal-Characters like Sakura,King,Benimaru are in the Normal grid meaning you could select up
to 4 fighters of your choice in that category.
-Medium-Fighters like Kyo,Ryu,Chun Li,Iori,Mai all follow this guideline you could choose
up to 2 fighters
-Hard- The fighters in this category are a bit more challenging to control,meaning some
have a faster to slower pace yet they could use an overkill attack (Geese,Rugal,Vega)
-Very hard- Evil Ryu,Akuma,Orochi Iori
These are preset but you can only choose one since they are overpowered (O.Iori)
Akuma and Evil Ryu are a bit slower yet they can really put alot of power into their
overkill moves.
(You can also use Normal set fighters in any given category cept alongside Evil Ryu,
Akuma & O.Iori.)
-Controls-
Arcade was set to 4 buttons (akin to the Neo-Geo setup).*ABCD* (Light Punch,Light KIck,
Fierce Punch,Fierce Kick) plus you can taunt your opponent with the 1p/2p button
(A+Start DC). Likewise to each fighters previous installments each fighter has their
own set of moves,some easy to use..some very challenging.Plus it all depends on your
skills to lead your team to the final match!
Sound/Music 10/10
Capcom's Sound Team does it again! This time Satoshi Ise along with Sound Designer
Masayuki Endo and many others callaborate on this title.The music for CVS is excellent!
From house to techno style beats,each makes their mark. There's a variety of tracks,
plus a special SF2 remix of Ryu's theme entitled (Ayutaya IsekI) only available within
the game (not the OST!) The tempo for each song is really fast paced,and doesnt slow
down at all.Even though Gouki's (Akuma US) stage theme is a bit slower,it still sounds
perfectly fitting for that fighter.Even the other bosses have their own theme song,just
as insane as the games before CvS (hard hitting tunes) keep ya going near the end of the
match before you go up against a familiar face. In short the music is top notch!
Replay Value 10/10
There are so many fighters to play as you'll want to through each of them.Tons of
characters so little time to decide.Plus there's a nice amount of characters to unlock
in both arcade and DC versions.
Overall 10/10
This game has great positive points,and negative.So far I've mentioned the best parts of
Capcom vs SNK..now to the bad side.
-Overkill-
Another problem with CVS was the fact that some Capcom characters were stronger than
their SNK rivals.Since this was a Capcom worked on title..they could have shared the
power more between all fighters.
-Ratio Select-
This is an interesting mode but there are problems with it.Say you wanted to pair up
Chun Li,Mai,Cammy,Vice one problem...the ratio may throw you off a bit but you can
select all 4 but some characters may be a bit weaker than others.
-Fighters-
There is a nice array of characters in Capcom VS SNK but there's a letdown.The amount
that is in CVS is a bit short,the only ones worth unlocking are Morrigan,Nakoruru,Evil
Ryu,Akuma,Orochi Iori.Otherwise you just unlock EX versions of various characters, which
isnt really alot of fun. (Since the amount of time you'll have to spend in order to
unlock everything which will defintely take awhile.)
-GPS-
This is a headache to deal with! You know you want the best points average afer a huge
brawl with a tough opponent but sometimes this system makes you feel like you lost it.
*Some attacks must be used as a counter or even using an advantage point against your
opponent to earn a ton of points!
-Endings-
Your standard Boss saying "I'll be back to challenge you again!" or Akuma's "I've found
a rival foe now who's next?!" That's about it really..nothing special about the endings.
No matter which characters you choose you'll end up with the same from any boss.
-PSX Notes-
PSX owners asked and received..but they got everything literally! In the PSX version of
Capcom vs SNK (PRO) Dan & Joe were added to the roster,but everything was available from
the start. No need to go back and forth with a NGP/NGPC just to earn extra points. Even
though it was made for those who owned a PSX but not NGPC..they also got a cold shoulder.
The presentation of the PSX version also had some problems..glitches,anti aliasing etc..
It was horrible but they got something out of it..but stick to the DC version.
Besides the many cons within this title,its still a must have in any gamers collection.
Capcom along with SNK hit the mark as a Versus title that's been a long wait. And we
were richly rewarded for our patience.
- by Rob Turner
